Our Verdict: The Duronic VC7020 is a solid vacuum, but we think it’s far behind the best cylinder models – even in this price range. While it provides acceptable carpet performance, it struggles more on hard floors and is difficult to manoeuvre around the home. We like that it has a HEPA filter and turbo brush for carpets though.
Duronic VC7020
Pros:
- Great price for a cylinder vacuum
- Decent performance on carpets and pet hair
- HEPA filter is a bonus for people with allergies
- Automatic cord rewind
- Relatively quiet compared with most cylinder vacuums
Cons:
- Poor hard floor performance
- Not the most durable vacuum
- Difficult to manoeuvre the main body
- No mini turbo tool
Thinking of buying the Duronic VC7020 cylinder vacuum? Here’s our full review of this popular low-budget vacuum, including its pros, cons, and overall cleaning performance.
The Duronic VC7020 is a cylinder vacuum cleaner that’s an inexpensive alternative to the top models on the market. Despite costing less than £100, it comes with a turbo brush for carpets, a relatively lightweight design, a HEPA filter, and several other tools.
We think the VC7020 is a decent vacuum for the price, although it’s let down by its below-average hard floor performance and poor manoeuvrability. Still, if you’re looking for a cheap cylinder vacuum cleaner that performs well on carpets, then it could be an option to consider.
How does the VC7020 compare to the best cylinder vacuum cleaners though? And is it worth buying? Read our Duronic VC7020 review to find out.
Overview of the Duronic VC7020’s Features
- Low-budget cylinder vacuum cleaner
- 700W motor (800W max) and a turbo brush for carpets
- HEPA filter for better allergen retention
- 5 metre cable and a 1.5 metre hose
- Automatic cord rewind button
- Combination tool
- 4.6kg weight making it a relatively lightweight cylinder vac
Appearance, Design, and Ease of Use
At its core, the VC7020 is a corded vacuum cleaner with a bagless design and 700W motor (which can reach 800W if required.) It has a 2.5 litre capacity, which is bigger than many other bagless options, and an extendable cleaning wand to provide greater reach.
One of the advantages of the VC7020 is its lightweight design. The VC7020 weighs 4.6kg, which is relatively light for a corded cylinder vacuum. For comparison, the Miele Compact C2 Cat & Dog weighs 6kg, and the Hoover Enigma (a close competitor in terms of price) weighs 4.9kg.
In terms of manoeuvrability, we don’t think the Duronic’s body can match the top cylinder vacuums though. The two large wheels at the back are fixed, so the steering only comes from a single front caster wheel. Of course, this is less of an issue for a cylinder vacuum, as the floorhead is what you’ll be manoeuvring around furniture and other items.
Speaking of moving around the home, there are two carry handles included with the Duronic, which help when carrying upstairs. Duronic has also included clips for storing the hose.
A complaint we have about the VC7020 is the short 5 metre power cord, which is one the shortest we’ve reviewed. The average for cylinder vacuums is 7-9 metres – and models like the Numatic George have a 10 metre cord. At least it has an automatic cable rewind feature for quicker storage, but be prepared to switch plug sockets regularly if you have a big house.
The Duronic also isn’t the most durable vacuum we’ve reviewed. While vacuums like the Numatic Henry can withstand almost anything, we don’t think the VC7020 has the quality to last for a long time. We think this is an inevitable trade-off when buying a lower-priced vacuum though.
On the plus side, the VC7020 is a relatively quiet vacuum. At just 72dB, it’s noticeably quieter than models like the Numatic Henry and Hoover Enigma. It’s not as quiet as models like the C3 Silence though, which has a noise output of just 64dB.
Filtration
The Duronic VC7020 comes with both a washable foam filter and a HEPA filter, which is the gold-standard for home cleaning appliances. HEPA filters trap 99.97% of dust and other allergenic particles (of greater than 0.3 microns in size), so far fewer allergens are released into the air.
You’ll need to clean the washable filter regularly to maintain the vacuum’s suction (at least once per month.) Duronic also sell spare filters. Unfortunately, the washable filter is quite difficult to remove, which is a shame.
Emptying & Cleaning
Like most low-budget bagless vacuums, emptying the dust canister simply involves unclipping it and pouring dirt into a bin.
This is a simple and quick process, but we found the lack of an internal collar to push out stubborn dirt means you may need to pull clumps out by hand. The emptying process also allows allergens to escape into the air, so make sure you do it outside.
Tools & Accessories
The Duronic comes with three attachments. The first is a primary floor head, which is designed mainly for hard floors. This is a basic floorhead, although it does a decent job and isn’t difficult to steer around objects.
There’s also a turbo brush, which is a similar size to the main floorhead but with a brush bar for cleaning deeper into carpets. Many cylinder vacuums don’t include a turbo brush, so we think this is a welcome addition that has a positive effect on the vacuum’s carpet-cleaning performance.
Aside from the floorheads, the Duronic also includes a 2-in-1 nozzle for cleaning awkward areas. This combines a crevice tool with a dusting brush, although we felt that the quality of this tool is low – especially as the crevice tool is shorter than most competing models.
While the Duronic has a flexible hose, it’s only 1.5 metres long, which can feel restrictive – especially as the body of the vac isn’t the easiest to manoeuvre around the home. This hose is the same length as the Hoover Enigma, but considerably shorter than most Miele vacuums and the Henry Xtra.
Suction Power & Cleaning Performance
The Duronic VC7020 provides surprisingly strong suction for an inexpensive vacuum cleaner. While raw suction isn’t everything when it comes to a vacuum’s cleaning performance, the VC7020 won’t let you down in terms of power.
There’s also a suction adjustment dial, which is great for adjusting the vacuum when moving between different surfaces.
A downside is that the vacuum’s suction tends to reduce as the dust canister fills up. This is a common issue we’ve found with cheaper vacuums, as these models don’t have the same level of cyclonic design found on vacuums like the Dyson. You’ll also need to properly maintain the filters, otherwise the vacuum will gradually lose suction over time.
Carpets
If you have lots of carpets in your home, then the Duronic VC7020 could be a decent vacuum to buy. It’s not great when using the standard floor tool, but provides strong carpet cleaning performance with the turbo tool – especially considering the low price.
A drawback is that the turbo brush is a full-size floorhead. We think this is great for carpets, but unwieldy when trying to clean carpeted stairs or car interiors. There’s no mini motorised tool to fall back on either.
Hard Floors
The Duronic VC7020 is less effective at cleaning hardwood or laminate floors. In fact, this is one of our biggest complaints about this vacuum cleaner.
The hard floor tool is fine for removing larger debris without pushing it around, but it struggles with finer dust. The vacuum also doesn’t do a good job at sucking up dirt from between floorboards.
If you have lots of hard floors in your home, then the Duronic isn’t a vacuum we recommend.
Pet Hair
This vacuum is great for cleaning pet hair on both carpets and hard floors. Many cheaper vacuums struggle with this task, making the VC7020 a good choice if you need a low-budget vacuum for removing lots of hair.
The downside is that there’s no pet tool. This makes the vacuum less useful for cleaning hair from upholstery or car interiors.
Price & Value for Money
The Duronic VC7020’s price is one of its main selling points. But there’s no point buying a low-quality vacuum just because it’s cheap!
Fortunately, we think the VC7020 does provide value for money, but only in certain situations. If you have lots of carpets, for example, then it’s a solid option in this price range. It’s also a decent choice if you mainly need it for cleaning pet hair. We don’t recommend it if you have lots of hard floors in your home, however, as it’s poor on these surfaces.
We also think that there are other models in this price range that provide better performance, such as the Hoover Enigma Pets.
Specification Table
| Ninja Column 1 | Ninja Column 2 |
|---|---|
| Price Range | £ |
| Power | 700W (800W max) |
| Cord Length | 5 metres |
| Weight | 4.6kg |
| Capacity | 2.5 litres |
| Noise | 72dB |
| Motorised Pet Tool | No (does have a turbo floorhead) |
| Hose | Yes |
| Filter | HEPA + Washable Foam |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Duronic VC7020 Have a Pet Tool?
No, the standard VC7020 doesn’t include a motorised pet tool. As we mentioned in our review, this makes the vacuum less effective for removing pet hair (or stubborn dirt) on upholstery, carpeted stairs, and car interiors.
Do You Need To Change Floorheads When Moving From Carpet To Hard Floors?
The Duronic VC7020 comes with two floorheads. For maximum cleaning performance, you should use the turbo brush for carpets, and the standard brush for hard floors.
Verdict
While the VC7020 provides decent value for the price, we think models like the Hoover Enigma Pets are a better option for a similar price (check out our guide to vacuums under £100 for more alternatives.) The VC7020 isn’t a bad vacuum, but it’s let down by poor hard floor performance and a design that’s difficult to manoeuvre around the home.
With that said, the Duronic is still worth considering if your home is mainly carpeted. It does a solid job at cleaning both short and long-pile carpets when using the turbo brush, and can even handle pet hair. We also like that it comes with a HEPA filter, automatic cord rewind, and two floorheads.